The present invention generally relates to toys and, more particularly, relates to candy dispensing toys.
Children have long enjoyed the entertainment value offered by candy dispensers. Not only are children typically excited by the end result of obtaining a piece of candy, but the mechanics of presenting and delivering the candy to the child is often equally exciting. Such candy dispensers can be provided in the form of well-known gum ball machines, often provided outside commercial establishments such as supermarkets and the like, wherein the gum ball machine typically includes visually captivating elements such as a large clear globe filled with brightly colored candies, and/or a spiral or labyrinthine pathway for delivering the candy.
Candy dispensers may also be provided in the hand-held or portable variety. Such dispensers are provided in a number of forms, with the most common being a toy gun of some sort which is adapted to fire a candy upon manipulation of a trigger. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,631,578 and 2,921,573 provide two examples of toy candy dispenser guns. Similar dispensers may be provided in the form of toy animals, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,360,930 and 5,651,475.
While such devices attempt to provide visually and audibly stimulating toys to captivate the interest of children, it is important to understand that the attention span of children is often limited. Complicated and multiply sequenced steps for dispensing a candy can often require time beyond the patience of the child. Moreover, complicated mechanical structures requiring multiple steps such as a toy gun requiring, among other things, a first step of cocking a firing mechanism and a second step of triggering the release of the firing mechanism can lend themselves to mechanical malfunction, fatigue, or failure. This, in turn, can upset the child, or the parent, ultimately leading to the child stopping usage of the toy.